Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-02-11
Indigestion in Horses.
New York Times.

Horses suffer from mistakes in feed
ing more than any other farm animals
and are consequently more subject to in
dig estion and its injurious results. K ill
ing py kindness is by no means unus ual
with horses. The alimentary and diges-
tive organs and their fun ctions in horses
are somewhat peculiar, and required to
be well studied that the feeding may be
based on rules laid down in accord an ce
with precise principles. 1t is impos 81 BILE
for these rules to be precise in every par
ticular case, for horses differ very much
both in their habits of eating and in their
ability to digest their food, and the prin-
ciples involved should therefore be known
and understood, when it will not be diff
ficult to adapt the feeding to the condi-
tions and requirem ents of each case.
The food mast be of the right kind,
aud it is quite safe to say that in general
horses are the worst fed of any of oar
domestic animals. The winter feeding
is usually hay, chiefly clover, or partly
clover and corn. These foods are too
rich and do not contain sufficient crude
fiber t 0 fill the stomach and BOWELS so
as to insure healthful action. The clover
is too heterogeneous and the corn is too
carbonaceous, and the effects of foods
are to exert too much certain organs,
which are thrown into disorder. The ex-
cessive nitrogen of the clover must pass
off through the kidneys or it remains in
the blood, causing various infamatory
disorders, and the least that common
irritation which produces eruption of
the skin and ltchiness that induces the
animal to rub itself until the hair is re-
moved or the skin itself is removed. The
excessive carbon of the corn affects the
liver, and this in turn affects the ordinary
organs, or it disturbs the action of the
lungs and prevents the proper purifca-
ton of the blood. The common ultimate
results of these disorders is farcy, pur-
pura hemorrhagica or anasarca, and final.
ly, no doubt, CHAMBERS is induced by poi
sonining Of the blood. But these are all
ultimate and indirect cons equences of
indigestion of the food, and there are
many direct disorders resulting from it
which cause good deal of tronble. Some
of these are -spasmodic-which is
most serious, and hasulent, windy, or
empanitic, which is most common. The
latter, however, sometimes results fatally
by producing rupture of the stomach or
bowels by reason OF the great distention
of these organs by the accumulated gas,
which cannot escape and which is caused
by the fermentation of the indigested
food. At times the nervous system is
involved and the common staggers. or
apople1y caused by congestion of the
brain results; or in bad cases the more
serious mad staggers, or frenzy, (Phreni-
tis,) occurs, with usually fatal results.
Paralysis, com lete or partial, of the
spinal system of nerves, also results
from Indigestion and breaking down, in
ability to stand or move, with sudden
falling in harness or on the road takes
place.
These instances show the serious ma
ture of this disorder. which is no. sur
prising when We remember how the food
is the sustenance of the animal. support
ing all its organs and controlling all its
vital functions, and when ii fails to do
its Office, necessarily all these fail with
1t.
Prevention 10 bett4r than cure; and
few simple rules in regard to feeding aad
watering may secure imm unity from these
disorders. The stomach of a horse Is
com paratively small, and concentrated
food or, if the food Is bulky. numerous
small meals are required to secure per-
feet digestion Ample time should be
given for feeding, and if the animal has
a greedy and voracious habit and sval-
lows its food hastily this should be cut
into chat or ground into meal and mix
ed together with sufficient water to avoid
sioppishness and no more. Cut feed Is
always more digestible than long hay and
whole grsin, and common sGpPosidon
that ii makes a horse soft and easily
sweatx is not we'll founded. for the con-
dition of moistness In which it Is given Is
only preliminary to the moistening OF
the food by mastication.
sufficient secretion Of saliva durlng